Electrical connecter



ELECTRICAL CONNEGTER Filed 001;. 11, 1935 F1 52 a -l s 19 n ll.

H II I d II I. :l 1 q l l I I 4' INVENTOR.

Charles E. Gilbert BY e g x j as Ano q v Patented Jan. 19, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

This invention relates specifically to electrical connecters of the unbreakable type in which the body is made of soft rubber or other similar elastic material.

Among its objectsare the provision of a connecter of this character in which the contact elements are seated securely and firmly and yet may be removed, if desired, without damage to the body; in which the seating and retaining of the contact elements is positive and involves no distortion of the elastic body; to which the conductors may be connected if desired without soldering or twisting and yet are held securely and in which there are no bolts, rivets or other similar anchoring devices. Furthermore, the connector of this invention may be connected to the conductor and assembled without the use of tools.

The form of connecter shown herein for pur-' poses of illustration and description is that of a plug such as is commonly used for connecting appliances to electrical outlets. It will be understood, however, that the invention is not similarly limited but is capable of assuming many other forms.

In the drawing Figure l is a plan view of an electrical connecter plug embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the provided with two recesses 5 for the reception of the contact elements each of which opens into the interior 3 through an opening 6 intermediate its ends. The opposite or outer wallof each recess is also provided with a longitudinal channel 'I of suflicient width and depth to receive an insulated wire.

The part of the body 8 between the recesses for the contact elements is preferably conical in form, its apex 9 projecting into the interior in the direction of the opening 4. Each of the sides of conical section 8 is provided with a channel II] of suitable dimensions to receive the electrical conductor. The inner wall of each recess 5 is also provided with a notch II. The general cross-sectional dimensions of each recess 5 disregarding the channel 1 is the same as the similar dimensions of the contact element. That is to say, the dimensions are such that when the element is inserted it will make close contact with all four walls of the recess.

Each contact element, as shown in Fig. 3, consists of a strip of conducting material bent upon itself to form two legs I2 and I3, leg I2 being somewhat longer than leg I3. The end of leg I2 is provided with a notch I4 of suitable shape to tightly grip the wire passing therethrough. The end of short leg I3 is bent as shown, into a tongue I6 which, as shown in Fig. 2, rests against the side of the conical section 8 when the plug is assembled? Immediately above the end I6 of short leg' I3 is an aperture ll of suflicient size to permit the passage of an insulated wire and a similar aperture I8 in long leg I2 registers therewith. These apertures register with channels .-'I and Ill sothat a continuous conduit for the conductor is provided from the interior 3 and around the end-of the contact element to which it is attached.

To connect the conductor to this contact element the insulation is first stripped from the end of the conductor to bare the wire within. The stripped end is then passed above tongue I6 through holes' I! and I8, down around the end of leg I2 through the notch I4 and up the other side of leg I2 until its end may be pinched between the .two legs of the contact element when they are pressed together.

The contact element with the conductor thus connected to it may then be inserted in the plug body by passing it, bend first, through opening 4 into the hollow interior and then through the opening 6 into the recess 5 until tongue I6 strikes the surface of conical section 8 of the body. Further pressure upon the contact element will cause the elastic body to give sufficiently to permit the end of leg I2 of the contact element to be inserted in the bottom of the recess 5. When the pressure is removed the body will return to its original shape and the contact element will be held securely in place through its contact with the walls and the bottom of recess 5 and through the engagement of tongue IS with conical section 8. Channel passage for the wire across the surface of tongue I6 to aperture I'I without impairing the engagement of tongue IS with the surface of conical section 8. Similarly channel I permits the wire, after it emerges from aperture I8, to pass down ID in conical section 8 affords a 4 the outside of leg I! of the contact element and through notch l4 without affecting the contact of leg I! with the corresponding wall of the recess. Since short leg 13 does not project into the recess below opening 6 ample space is provided in that part of the recess for the upward passage of the wire along the inside of leg 12. The various bends assumed by the conductor and its passage through notch M which, as heretofore stated, is so shaped as to securely grip the insulation, together with the close engagement of the contact element with all four walls of the recess insure that the conductor will be held against any possibility of displacement.

If desired either or both of channels I and ID in the body may be omitted and equivalent channels provided in leg l2 and tongue N3 of the contact element to secure the desired conduit for the conduction around the end of the contact element as described.

Although there is little likelihood of displacement of the contact element once it has been seated, as described it is conceivable that some extraordinary pull upon the conductor might accomplish this. Such displacement is rendered impossible, however, by providing one of the legs of the contact element (leg 13, for example) with a small tongue l9 which projects outwardly and towards tongue I6 and is positioned so as to en-' gage notch II in the body whenthe contact is fully seated in recess 5. This tongue will effectively prevent accidental displacement of the contact element in the direction opposite to that from which it was inserted. Displacement in the other direction is, of course, impossible because of tongue 16.

In order to simplify insertion of the contact elements the body of the plug may be split, as shown at 20 in Fig. 2, from the end indicated by the opening 4 substantially to the apex 9 of coolcal section 8. This permits the sides of the plug to be sprung outwardly so that the interior is opened up and a much larger space obtained for manipulation of the contact elements during in-. sertion. The elastic character and curvature of the sides will cause them to come together again and thereafter retain their normal shape just as though the split 20 had not been made. However, to insure against any possible separation during use the small end of the body may be surrounded by a metallic or other suitable removable ring 2!.

' It will be noted that when this connecter is assembled no part of the body is distorted by the presence of the contact elements or the conductors. It will also be noted that the contact elements are locked against accidental displacement but that they can be removed, if desired,

without damage to the plug body. It will also be noted that the assembly may be carried out with great ease and without the use of tools and that the entire connecter may consist of only three elements, the body' and the two contacts, each of one piece and involving a simple molding operation to form the body and an even simpler stamping operation to form each of the contact elements and that soldering of the conductor is not required to secure positive and permanent connection.

I claim:

1. An electrical connecter comprising a unitary elastic body having a hollow interior and two recesses, each terminating in a socket at its inner end and having an aperture immediately above said socket communicating with the interior of said body and a contact seated in each of said recesses and each consisting of a strip of conducting material folded upon itself so that one leg is longer than the other, the long leg being seated in said socket and the short leg passing through said aperture in said recess and engaging with an interior wall of said body, said interior wall of said body being provided with a channel connecting said interior with said recess, said recess also being provided with a channel extending from its bottom to a point opposite to that at which the -other channel enters said recess and said contact element being provided with apertures affording communication from one channel to the other.

2. An electrical connecter comprising a onepiece elastic body provided with a passage therethrough adapted to permit the introduction of an electrical conductor and a contact element through the same end, a socket in a wall of said body connecting with said passage and adapted to receive said contact element, a contact ele ment which consists of a strip of resilient conducting material folded upon itself so as to form two legs in substantially parallel relation, the free ends of both of which pass through said passage, one of said ends being seated within said socket and the other of said ends being offset and engaging with the wall of said passage so as to maintain said other leg within said socket against longitudinal displacement.

3. An electrical connector according to claim 2 in which one of said legs is also provided with an offset tongue engageable with the exterior of said body as an additional means of maintaining one leg of said contact element within the socket against longitudinal displacement.

4. An electrical connecter according to claim 2 in which each leg of the contact element is provided' with an aperture by means of which a conductor introduced into said passage can pass through said contact element into said socket.

5. An electrical connecter according to claim 1 in which said end of the contact element which engages with a wall of said passage also forms a closure fora channel in said wall, said channel being adapted to receive a conductor and to guide it to registering apertures in the legs of said contact element.

6. An electrical connector according to claim 1 in which said end of the contact element which engages with a Wall of said passage also forms a closure for a channel in said wall, said channel being adapted to receive a conductor and to guide it to registering apertures in the legs of said contact element, a channel in said socket registering with said apertures and adapted to guide said conductor downwardly along the end of the leg of said contact element which is seated in said socket after it has passed through said first mentioned channel and said apertures, the lower end of said channel in said socket reg istering with a notch in the end of said leg of the contact element seated therein adapted to permit the passage of the conductor from one side of the leg to the other.

CHARLES E. GILBERT. 

